Swedish Midsummer: family, frogs & flowers

Glad midsommar på er! Jag tänkte att jag gör bort mig än en gång genom att prata in mitt inlägg.

Hi, I’m Robert Börming and this is Swedish Midsommar, Family, Frogs and Flowers.

Today is midsommars day here in Sweden.

Of all the holidays we celebrate, this might just be the biggest.

Yes, even bigger than Christmas.

This year I spent it with my family in Åkersberga, the neighborhood where I grew up.

It was a lovely day with great weather, lots of people and of course the iconic midsummer pole.

Part of the tradition involves decorating the pole with flowers and birch branches before raising it.

Then the singing and dancing begin.

To someone who’s not from Sweden, that last part might seem a bit hmm…

odd.

Maybe even a little cult-like.

If you’ve seen the movie Midsommar, you know what I mean.

But for the kids it’s pure joy and honestly it’s pretty entertaining to watch as an adult too.

The dances usually match the lyrics of the songs.

One classic is Små grodorna, the little frogs, with movements that mimic the body parts frogs don’t have, like ears and tails.

Yes, it’s just as silly and delightful as it sounds.

Fun fact, in the movie Minority Report, great movie by the way, it’s Små grodorna, that’s one that one of the Swedish actors sings in this scene.

And in the blog post there’s a link to a YouTube clip.

As for the food, boiled potatoes served with fresh dill and sour cream along with herring are a given.

A schnapps or two often makes its way to the table as well.

And for the dessert, strawberry cake.

Yes, always strawberry cake.

If you ever find yourself in Sweden around this time of year, feel free to use this post as your personal Midsommar guide.

Glad Midsommar! And if this wasn’t embarrassing enough, I thought I’d sing some lines from Små grodorna.

Små grodorna, små grodorna är lustiga att se.

I probably need to add an unsubscribe link to the end of this post.

Yep.